Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 rolls out in three stages rather than a single worldwide drop. Campaign Early Access opens first for digital pre-orders, DMZ follows four days later, and the full game with multiplayer arrives on October 23, 2026. Status: Confirmed.
Quick answer: Campaign Early Access unlocks October 16 at 10 AM PT for digital pre-orders, DMZ on October 20 at 10 AM PT, and the full launch (with multiplayer) on October 23 at midnight local time.
Release time: October 16, 2026 at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET) — Campaign Early Access
Modern Warfare 4 campaign and DMZ early access times
Both early access windows unlock at the same moment everywhere. The campaign goes live on October 16 at 10 AM PT, and DMZ follows on October 20 at 10 AM PT. Because this is a simultaneous global unlock, the clock time simply shifts to match each region.
| Region | Campaign (Oct 16) | DMZ (Oct 20) |
|---|---|---|
| US West (PT) | 10 AM | 10 AM |
| US East (ET) | 1 PM | 1 PM |
| UK (BST) | 6 PM | 6 PM |
| Central Europe (CEST) | 7 PM | 7 PM |
| India (IST) | 10:30 PM | 10:30 PM |
| Japan (JST) | 2 AM (next day) | 2 AM (next day) |
| Australia (AEST) | 4 AM (next day) | 4 AM (next day) |
| New Zealand (NZST) | 6 AM (next day) | 6 AM (next day) |
For regions east of the Americas, the unlock lands on the following calendar day. In Japan and Australia, for example, the campaign becomes playable in the early hours of October 17, and DMZ in the early hours of October 21.
How to unlock early access
The campaign window is available only through a digital pre-order. Both the digital Standard Edition and Vault Edition qualify, but physical copies do not. Access attaches to the account that made the purchase, with no code required.
Pre-order on your platform of choice through the official store for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Battle.net, Steam, or Nintendo Switch 2.
You will know the campaign unlocked when it becomes selectable from the main menu at the times above. The DMZ tab appears on October 20 once that window opens.
Modern Warfare 4 is a standalone purchase and is not included with Game Pass at launch. Game Pass access is not planned until Holiday 2027.
Modern Warfare 4 full release on October 23
The full launch works differently from early access. Instead of a single global moment, the game unlocks at midnight local time in each region on October 23. That creates a rolling release that begins in New Zealand and Australia and ends on the US West Coast. On PC, the midnight local schedule is confirmed; consoles are expected to follow the same pattern.
| Region | Full launch (local) |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (NZST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| Australia (AEST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| Japan (JST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| India (IST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| Central Europe (CEST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| UK (BST) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| US East (ET) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
| US West (PT) | Oct 23, 12 AM |
Because each zone flips at its own midnight, the West Coast gets in roughly three hours after the East Coast. If you are on the US West Coast, that means playing from the moment October 22 turns into October 23 in your region.
Preload and download size by platform
Preloads are already available on every platform, so you can download ahead of each unlock. The base install exceeds 100 GB on current-gen consoles and PC before Warzone is added.
| Platform | Approx. size |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 120 GB |
| Xbox Series X|S | 120 GB |
| PC | 115 GB |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 85 GB |
Installing COD HQ alongside Modern Warfare 4 is required, but Warzone is optional. Selecting Warzone pulls down the current version; the new Warzone built for Modern Warfare 4 does not open until Season 1 arrives on November 6, 2026.
What you can play at each stage
Each mode becomes available at a different point in the rollout. Multiplayer is the one piece that never arrives early, no matter which edition you own.
| Mode | Who | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | Digital pre-orders | Oct 16 (early) / Oct 23 (all) |
| DMZ | Digital pre-orders | Oct 20 (early) / Oct 23 (all) |
| Multiplayer | Everyone | Oct 23 only |
The campaign puts you in two roles across the conflict: Private Park Hyun Jun, a South Korean soldier facing a full-scale invasion, and outlawed Captain Price, operating off the books after being hunted. With early access opening a week ahead of launch, there is room to finish the story before the full release.
DMZ is the extraction mode set on the new Hajin map, where you deploy solo or in a squad, gather loot, complete objectives, and extract while facing AI threats and rival Operators. Multiplayer rounds out the package on launch day with its full set of maps and modes.
